


In Rodin’s Garden

by Cornerofmadness



Category: Angel: the Series, Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-23
Updated: 2019-06-23
Packaged: 2020-05-16 21:39:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,551
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19326613
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cornerofmadness/pseuds/Cornerofmadness
Summary: Buffy pays a visit to Stanford when she learns there’s a possible Slayer cleaning house on campus.





	In Rodin’s Garden

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Evil_Little_Dog](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Evil_Little_Dog/gifts).



> **Disclaimer** \- As always, Joss owns all characters. 
> 
> **Timeline** – post series, more or less ignoring comics’ canon
> 
> **Author’s Note** – This was written for evil_little_dog at comment_fic for the prompt of Connor Reilly (Angel?)+Buffy Summers, "You know, you ought to meet my Dad sometime." (and they didn’t want to make it a nice short flash fic…)

XXX

“This is creepy as hell,” Buffy said, staring up at Rodin’s Gates of Hell at Stanford. Her mom probably could have told her all about it, might even have loved it for the realistic renderings of the human form in pain. A twinge of melancholy moved through her at the thoughts of her mom; oh how she still missed her.

“I think that’s the point,” Willow said, studying the bronze artwork with wide eyed wonder.

Buffy was still waiting for Willow to tell her why she had wanted to come to Stanford with her on this mission. She assumed Willow was fighting with Kennedy again, and the bad part of her hoped this would be an end to it so she could feel comfortable with sending the brat to some distant hellmouth and let Willow move on to someone who wasn’t entitled and spoiled. She realized it was an unkind thought, but she couldn’t help feeling it. She wanted someone nice for her best friend, someone who didn’t feel like a cheese grater on skin to the rest of Willow’s friends. She waited for Willow to say something more and when she didn’t, Buffy asked, “Are you sure there’s another new Slayer around here?”

Willow shrugged. “The spells didn’t indicate there was but one of my local witch friends said someone has been tearing through a couple of demon enclaves known to be around here. She saw four vampires dusted before her eyes by someone moving so fast, she barely spotted the person. All she saw was a slender back and brown hair. Who else could handle four vamps like that other than a Slayer? Maria was sure it wasn’t the Initiative, no uniform.”

Buffy nodded. “I wish the locator spell was more accurate.”

“I’m sure every Watcher agrees. They didn’t know about you or Faith,” Willow reminded her. 

In many ways, Buffy was grateful for that. She couldn’t imagine growing up like Kendra and that was something she definitely wanted the new Council to avoid with all the new girls. “So where do we start looking? This sculpture garden is huge.”

“I know but this is where Maria said she’d seen a few demons meet their end. A college campus is a great hunting ground, but I don’t have to tell you that,” Willow replied.

Buffy nodded. “I think I’ll go that way. I hear voices.”

“I’ll try the north end.”

“Be careful.”

Willow beamed. “No problem.”

Buffy meandered toward the voices, the clouds playing peekaboo with the rising moon overhead. Thursday was the only night the garden was open later, which struck her as odd. Maybe it was romantic enough for students who would probably be too busy on the weekend getting drunk. She felt the twinge that told her vampires were around before she spotted them, lurking behind a sculpture. Sighing, she pulled a stake out of her hoodie pocket.

Before Buffy could launch an attack, a rustling in the trees above the sculpture drew her attention. The vampires’ scrutiny didn’t leave their potential victims who were out for a romantic stroll up ahead. Above them in the tree someone took lurking to a new level. Buffy couldn’t clearly make out who it was, but they obviously had the vampires in their sights. Did they know what they were? Was it a new and human predator? Certainly rapists stalked college campuses looking for drunk easy prey. All Buffy could make out clearly was a trim back, so it could be the Slayer she had come here looking forward, and she was gutsy enough to try to take on six vampires on her own, if that was the reason to be up the tree.

They leapt down, snapping two vampire necks with their feet in the process. The stranger tucked and rolled and came up swinging. Buffy leapt into the fray. Together they made short work of the vampires and the civilians didn’t even notice anything was up. The lurker squared off with her and Buffy fell back a step. Under the security lights lining the walk ways, she saw it wasn’t a new Slayer. The lurking vampire-killing machine was a young man with wide blue eyes.

She narrowed her own eyes at him. He was breathing so he wasn’t another vampire pissed his territory had been poached. “How do you move like that?”

He cocked his head at you. “You move a lot like Faith. You a Slayer?”

Buffy’s jaw dropped. “You know Faith? Who are you? A Special Ops Watcher who was in the field when things went boom?”

His nose wrinkled. “Don’t know about any of that. Yeah, I know Faith. I’m Connor since you asked.”

“Buffy,” she said warily. “Seriously, how do you move like a Slayer?”

“Faith asked me that too. I move like me.” A stubborn glint shown in his eye, reminding her of Dawn. “Dad would probably say I move like him, but he’d be wrong. Thanks for the assist.”

She wanted to say he was the assistant, but he’d be in place before she’d even known the vampires were around. “Your Dad trained you?”

“My first one did, well guess he was more like an adopted dad. My real dad gave me some pointers, like I needed them growing up like I did.” He shrugged. “It’s weird though that he works with Faith being she’s a Slayer. You know, you ought to meet my Dad sometime. He’d probably love having another Slayer around when things go to hell, which they seem to do way too often.”

In spite of herself, Buffy was intrigued. “Oh? Is he a mage? And none of this explains how you move so fast.”

“Hey Buffy,” Willow called from behind her. “I struck out. Oh, hey, Connor. What are you doing here?”

Buffy whipped around, arching her eyebrows at her friend. Shockingly, Willow lost all color and her face was animated with that nervous look Buffy knew well, the one where Willow had done something wrong or knew a secret she desperately wanted to tell. “You know him?”

Willow’s guilty look deepened. “I met Connor in L.A. a while back.”

“I’m here because Dad insisted I go back to school. He’s got it in his head I’m going to be something I’m totally not but.” Connor shrugged. “Plenty of protecting to do around here while I get a degree in something neither dad suspects I’m working on.”

“Contrary as always I see.” Willow smiled, and he sneered. 

Why was that expression so familiar Buffy wondered? “He was trying to recruit me to help his father, but he hasn’t told me why.”

“Oh Connor, your dad already knows Buffy,” Willow said, and her tone sank Buffy’s mood to her toes. Something was wrong, more than she already thought there was.

He shrugged. “If we’re going to talk about Dad, I need a beer.”

Buffy eyed him. “Are you old enough?”

“It’s college. Does it matter? I have some at my place. Besides that’s a talk best left for private.”

Curious, Buffy agreed since Willow seemed okay with it. Willow trusted the kid. Little did Buffy know fifteen minutes later, she’d be clutching a beer bottle feeling like she should be jammed into Rodin’s Gates of Hell. “You’re right, Connor, I ought to meet your dad and chat about this.”

“After you jam a stake or two into him for not telling you about me?” Connor’s smirk was the only clue he was telling the truth. It was pure Angelus.

Buffy swigged her beer. “Don’t tempt me.”

“Does that apply to me? Angel wanted me and Faith to keep quiet. I always assumed he’d tell you himself,” Willow said meekly.

“He had reasons for keeping quiet. He and Spike are in Vegas at the moment, in theory after a succubus stalking the strip but in reality, I think they’re there to see high end strippers and gamble,” Connor snorted.

“He’s with Spike?” Buffy couldn’t quite imagine that either. “And neither of them has gone evil?”

“Eh, they’re as good as vampires who were probably pervs to start with can be, judging by the stories Spike’s told me.”

Buffy didn’t know how to process any of this. “Can I have another beer? And do you know when Angel will be back?”

“No but Spike somehow found out about a huge end of the fall semester party next weekend, so I suspect Dad will show up to ruin it because he thinks I should be a little angel, no pun intended.” Connor rolled his eyes so hard Buffy figured he’d sprain a muscle. “But if you really want to meet up with him, I know where he’s staying in Vegas.”

Buffy grinned. “Willow, I feel like a road trip, how about you?”

“Um, sure?” Willow managed to make it a question rather than an affirmation.

Connor popped up from the couch. “Let me pack a bag. If you ladies need a t-shirt or something, feel free to raid my closet.”

“We’re good but thanks,” Buffy said. 

She could almost imagine the look on Angel’s face when they showed up in Vegas. And Connor’s stake-jamming idea had merit. Maybe she should sharpen a few more stakes while he drove. Either way, Vegas was about to get a lot more exciting.


End file.
